New parents are generally wary of bathing a newborn since they are terrified of handling the soaped and slippery baby. The truth is quite the reverse: bathing time can be a wonderful mode of bonding with your little one, who often feels reassured with your voice and touch.
By keeping a good grip, talking to your baby and maintaining eye contact, you can familiarize yourself with an enjoyable bath routine.
Sponge Baths
In the initial week, you will find it easy to adhere to sponge baths using a wet and clean wash cloth, as against giving a full time bath.
Proper Baths
Parents need not wait for the stump of umbilical cord to heal completely before giving their infant the proper bath. Taking a bath at this stage does not risk chances of contracting an infection.
It is important to keep the baby warm so as to minimize heat loss. You have to ensure that the water and the room are warm.
While you may bathe your little one for the pleasure of it, newborns do not need a bath everyday. In fact, bathing a newborn is not really necessary more than once or twice a week unless baby is up and crawling or getting into messes. As long as there is no muck to clean, baby will stay tidy.
However, this might not be the case during summer with high levels of humidity and temperature. Using lukewarm water for a shower may cool baby and make them more comfortable.
Overusing tap water and strong cleansers may damage the sensitive and growing skin of the babies. This is why you should opt in for the gentle and neutral pH cleansers and mild soaps that are proven in terms of their safety and tolerance quotient. When using on toddlers, apply them sparingly in the initial weeks.
How to Bathe Your Baby
- Wash your hands. Assemble the required bath supplies and spread out a clean towel, neat nappy and clothes.
- The room and water should be warm. At 38 degrees Centigrade, the water helps babies retain their body temperature. Do not use cold water, even during summer.
- The bath can be filled to about 5 inches with water, with the shoulders well covered.
- Bring the baby in the designated area and undress them totally.
- For bathing a newborn, slip them in the bath with the feet first using a hand to prop the neck and head. However, if you want to offer a bath the natural way, by placing the baby on your outstretched legs, make sure that their head is held firmly in place.
- Use soap sparingly with a wash cloth or with your hand, from the front to the back or top to bottom. The scalp should be washed with a soapy cloth. Moist cotton balls can be used on the face and eyes. Wash the genitals regularly. The mucus of the nose should be wiped with wet cotton wool.
Bathing a newborn can be done by rinsing them intricately with a clean wet cloth. Lift them out of the tub, wrapping them dry in a towel.
